In the Xingyuan Marquis Mansion, the lights in the Xiangyun Hall were on all night long.
As the number of guards in the mansion was greatly reduced, the remaining people were more vigilant of the mansion.
The guards of the Imperial City Bureau also frequently patrolled Dongxing Street to prevent thieves from taking advantage of the situation.
In the brightly lit tea room, Jiang Shuxiu gently supported her cheek with her left hand, while her personal maid Rui'er sat quietly beside her.
Lai Xi and Bing Qiao were guarding outside the door, ready to respond at any time.
"Miss, are you worried that the prince will go out and have affairs with other women?" Rui'er asked softly.
Jiang Shuxiu smiled slightly, his expression calm.
She and Rui'er are like sisters and grew up together, so she does not hide her feelings from her.
"Which of the young men from the noble families in the capital doesn't have some romantic affairs outside? My husband has already taken my feelings into consideration. He has never taken a concubine, and there is no maid in the room." Jiang Shuxiu said slowly, but there was a bit of melancholy in her tone.
"Every time the ladies from other mansions in the capital get together, they all envy me behind my back for having a good husband." She continued, a hint of relief in her eyes.
"If he doesn't go to the social event, people will say I'm narrow-minded and jealous, and I'll be branded as a jealous woman."
In the deep night of early spring, it was still a bit chilly in Xiangyun Hall.
Ruier considerately added two pieces of charcoal into the hand warmer, wrapped it in silk cloth, and handed it to Jiang Shuxiu to keep her warm.
When Rui'er came to the Marquis' Mansion as a dowry maid, Jiang Shuxiu's mother, Madam Jiang, gave her some instructions.
If Jiang Shuxiu becomes pregnant or the prince wants to take a concubine, Rui'er will help Jiang Shuxiu to firmly hold Xue Yuanchu's heart.
Rui'er always kept Mrs. Jiang's advice in mind.
Fortunately, Xue Yuanchu never took a concubine. Whenever he was in the marquis's mansion, he would always choose to spend the night with Jiang Shuxiu in Lanyue Pavilion.
Although they have not yet had any children, there is really nothing to complain about this marriage.
Rui'er was even more focused and devoted herself to serving Jiang Shuxiu alone, feeling extremely satisfied.
At this moment, Lai Xi's younger brother A Rui, who was outside the gatehouse, noticed that Zhao Bai had returned to the gatehouse courtyard, so he hurried over to inform his sister.
Lai Xi, upon hearing the news, hurried into the tea room and reported, "Madam, A Rui said Zhao Bai has returned home. Do you think we should summon him here for questioning now?"
Hearing this, Jiang Shuxiu didn't want to delay the matter until tomorrow, so he said decisively: "Since he's back, let's call him over now."
"Yes, young madam." Lai Xi responded and immediately turned around to summon Zhao Bai.
Jiang Shuxiu came to the front hall and sat down elegantly on a round chair carved with bamboo patterns, while Ruier stood beside her.
Zhao Bai had never had the experience of serving as an errand boy in front of the young lady, and this sudden summons filled him with doubts.
Although it was late at night, he did not dare to delay in the slightest and quickly followed Lai Xi and the night watch mother to Xiangyun Hall.
"Greetings to the young lady." Zhao Bai stood in the corridor and bowed his head respectfully.
There was a hint of majesty in Jiang Shuxiu's voice.
"Before the old lady went to inspect the farm, she specifically asked me to ask you where the prince had gone."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Bai replied respectfully, "The old lady was concerned that it would be inappropriate for the Crown Prince to be alone with a servant watching chess while he was out socializing, so she ordered me to follow him secretly to ensure his safety. For the past two days, the Crown Prince has been staying at the Jingxiang Marquis's villa and has not been anywhere else."
After hearing Zhao Bai's answer, Jiang Shuxiu remained silent and just gently placed the teacup in her hand on the table beside her.
Rui'er observed his expression and immediately took over the conversation: "Your words don't sound detailed. When it comes to protecting the prince's safety when traveling, the palace has its own well-trained guards responsible for that. You're just a doorman. If something unexpected really happens, what use will you be in following him?"
She paused and continued, "Also, someone from the mansion has already gone to the Jingxiang Marquis's villa, but the gatekeeper there said the prince was not there. If you dare to lie to the young lady, even if your aunt is Nanny Zhao, the young lady will never let you off easily."
Zhao Bai listened for a moment, hesitating whether he should tell Jiang Shuxiu the whole story, so he suddenly knelt down and said, "Young Madam, please don't embarrass me."
Jiang Shuxiu wasn't as harsh as Rui'er. She soothed him gently, "The old lady ordered me to inquire about the whereabouts of the prince, which means you don't need to hide your errand from me. Just tell me everything, and even if my mother-in-law doesn't tell me, I will arrange a management position for you."
Rui'er also took the opportunity to put pressure on her, saying, "If you hide anything again, I will tie you up and throw you directly to the gate of the Hong Mansion. Then even Madam Zhao will not be able to protect you."
Zhao Bai weighed the pros and cons in his mind and felt that this statement made sense.
So, he kowtowed respectfully and decided to tell everything.
"Young Madam, I'm not deliberately deceiving you, but this matter has somewhat damaged the Crown Prince's reputation. Initially, the Old Madam ordered me to investigate whether the Crown Prince had secretly arranged for the woman from the brothel to be his mistress. After tracking him for a while, I found that the Crown Prince had not done so."
"However, the Crown Prince frequently visits the courtyard of the two sons of the Shoukang Marquis's mansion. There, they keep several young male actors, all of whom are handsome..."
Hearing this, Jiang Shuxiu's slender eyebrows slightly frowned, and even Rui'er showed embarrassment on her face.
She noticed the handkerchief tightly clenched in Jiang Shuxiu's hand, then adjusted her expression and turned her eyes seriously to Zhao Bai.
"So, is the Crown Prince also in the courtyard of the two young masters of Lord Shoukang today?"
Zhao Bai immediately shook his head and responded, "That's the strange thing. Ever since the last time the prince took a young servant away, he has been placing him in Zhenbaozhai to do odd jobs."
"However, the young servant has disappeared in the past few days, and even Zhenbaozhai has suspended business."
"These past few days, I've been following the prince's whereabouts. Since he didn't leave directly from our house, and Jingxiang Hou also had guards, there were so many people and eyes, I lost him several times."
"It happened tonight, too. I followed the carriage to Chang'anfang Street, but it disappeared once I got there. I've been waiting at the street entrance until now, but I had to return because I was worried about being discovered by the curfew patrol."
Jiang Shuxiu always thought that Madam Hong Yingrong would let Xue Yuanchu do whatever he wanted as long as it did not bring shame to the Marquis' Mansion.
At this moment, she knew that Hong Yingrong had begun to investigate Xue Yuanchu's every move outside, and a complex emotion surged in her heart.
"It seems that my mother-in-law's expectations of my husband are much higher than I thought." Jiang Shuxiu murmured to herself. She understood that Hong Yingrong's worries were not groundless.
In this ever-changing capital, every move of the children of aristocratic families is closely watched, and they may be involved in trouble if they are not careful.
However, when Jiang Shuxiu further thought that Xue Yuanchu was not lingering with prostitutes, but those handsome male actors and servants, she couldn't help but feel an indescribable discomfort in her heart.
This discomfort was like a surging wave, and for a moment she felt her stomach churning. Jiang Shuxiu quickly covered her mouth with the handkerchief in her hand and began to dry heave.
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